People utilize footwear with great frequency in order to protect the feet from surfaces while they walk. This protection allows one to walk across rough, sharp, hot, cold, and otherwise dangerous or uncomfortable terrain. Furthermore, this protection keeps dirt, chemicals, pathogens, and other undesirable or dangerous substances from contacting the foot.
Footwear is also useful in reducing impact to the feet and providing adequate support and comfort to ensure proper form while walking or running. As footwear is worn, it is exposed to a variety of contaminants including things such as dirt, mud, fecal matter, construction waste, garbage, or other noxious substances. As footwear is generally worn every day, as people go into and out of different establishments or spend time outdoors, footwear becomes soiled. These contaminants are then brought into homes or other buildings when a person wearing soiled footwear enters.
Current doormat technology does not allow for adequate and convenient cleaning of footwear, in particular shoes and boots. Doormats in general use are of the type where one physically wipes the sole of the foot on a rough or textured surface. Other types of doormats utilize sticky surfaces to pull dirt off the bottom of the footwear. While this will physically remove larger dry particulates, such sticky mats cannot clean wet messes and also quickly lose their effectiveness. Sticky mats may also leave residue behind on the footwear. Neither of these types of doormats are capable of actually washing or sanitizing the footwear.
There are some doormats which allow for scrubbing of the footwear, but these devices are bulky and not practical for use in household settings or in other places where space is limited. Some also require the use of hands in order to fully clean the footwear, which may end up spreading contaminants or dirt to the hands.
In light of this, it can be appreciated that there exists a continuing need for a new and improved doormat that can adequately clean and sanitize footwear, without the use of hands, to prevent germs and dirt from entering the home or other interior space and prevent contamination of the hands, while having a low profile and substantially internalized components.